Gift wrapping -- is it a man’s or woman’s job?

That was the topic of an argument between my husband and me earlier this week, after John casually suggested that I begin wrapping the Christmas gifts for our family members.

He then went on to talk about how he would hate for me to get bogged down with having to wrap all of the gifts at the last minute. Clearly, I thought, my husband must be joking.
But after about 30 seconds of silence, he repeated himself --  as if I didn’t hear him the first time.

After all, he added while laughing, wrapping gifts is a woman’s job.

And then the fight started.

In all honesty, my husband is not a sexist caveman who walks around beating his chest and yelling about the delegation of duties. He was only joking about the whole “woman’s job” thing.
But his comment did make me think about the crazy gender stereotypes that many newlywed couples tend to bring into their marriage.

So after getting input from my friends and husband, here is a list of completely ridiculous stereotypical gender duties that we’ve heard over the years.

Picking out the Christmas tree -- A woman’s job.

Putting up the Christmas tree -- A man’s job.

Watering the Christmas tree -- A shared responsibility, which really depends on which spouse has the least amount of trouble squeezing under the tree. Bonus points if you can find a kid to do it for you.

Decorating the Christmas tree -- Also a shared responsibility. (Apparently, men are supposed to put the Christmas lights on and women put any ornaments or “extra decorations” on the tree.)

Starting the fire in the fireplace -- A man’s job.

Remembering to wake up and stop the fire in the fireplace -- A woman’s job.

Cooking -- A woman’s job if it’s on a stove. A man’s job if it’s on a grill. A few items, such as the George Foreman grill, can be used by men or women.

Buying new furniture/decorations for the house -- A woman’s job. Preferably when the husband is not around.

Putting up/assembling new furniture for the house -- A man’s job.

Setting up doctor appointments for the kids/pets -- A woman’s job. I also like to think of this responsibility as “keeping the kids/pets alive.”

Playing with the kids/pets, without assuming any real responsibility -- A man’s job.

Wrapping the Christmas gifts -- Apparently, the jury is still out on that one.

As of Wednesday evening, John and I have yet to agree on who will wrap the growing pile of Christmas gifts in our closet. Apparently, we both hate wrapping gifts and would rather pass that duty off to someone else.

But with Christmas only a week away, I guess it looks like one of us will have to cave in -- and soon.

Otherwise, our family members are going to have to deal with getting their presents wrapped by Ella, our Labrador retriever-mix puppy.